Month: May 2016

My husband is very into genealogy right now. Today, I too felt the desire to discover my roots, but not enough to download the Ancestry app. Instead, like a good American, I thought about family, friends and colleagues who served our country so bravely–I swear this is true. I’m humbled by their doing a job I couldn’t.

I thought about the soldiers in my family. As much as my relatives tried to enlist, our family is one with ailments that kept us away from any front lines (i.e. really bad eyesight, bad knees). They volunteered extensively, and I’m thankful that I grew up with family intact. Others haven’t been so lucky.

My father-in-law served in WW II, which makes him kind of ancient (and adorable). He hasn’t said much about it, though I imagine he was as persistent about serving as he is now about selling insurance. My uncle was in the Navy and so was his stepfather. My stepfather was in the Army and every now and then he’ll say something about it. When I went to work, I started to meet amazing women who served in the military and they’ve told me some harrowing tales.

Their experiences are out of my realm of understanding, but that doesn’t mean I can’t thank them over and over again.